Are pine shaving ok?

[VI KING RANCH]

as title says...Are pine shavings ok?

 

[cassie]

yup.

 

[VI KING RANCH]

Quote:
Ok...just was wondering asll ive used is fir

 

[SteveBaz]

In truth cedar is one of the few woods to be concerned with the resins and sap that are in cedar are toxic to chickens. Most compressed woods that are offered today on the markets will be OK. Wood shavings that come from mills are OK a bit dusty but still fine. Some say they have spouses and friends that drill woods or router shavings are OK except of course if its cedar.

Deep litter methods is 1 of the preferred methods discussed here on the BYC Forums. I lay down up to 4" in spots to start the in beginning. Some use only 2" but do what you want. As you lay it down I add and sprinkle D.E. (diatomaceous earth). The DE helps with lice, mites and odor over the top and then throw down more wood shavings and DE until its the depth you want. Then each day I pick up poop and throw it into my 5 gallon poop bucket. Then with a stick I hang inside the coop I begin to stir the shavings up until they are soft and loose and not packed down. This stirs the poop you miss lower in the shavings toward the dirt floor. Now in a month or so you will begin to feel it is beginning to have an odor or is looking dark and dirty it may be time to throw down and sprinkle some more DE on the top layer after you have stirred the coop or shavings in the brooder. Then put down new shavings on top about 1" or so not a lot but enough to make it look fresh. This will continue until spring for me. In the spring I have 8" or more of shavings (15 to 20 cuft) between the brooder box and the coop floor and I dig the entire coop and brooder out into a wheel barrel and it goes to my flower beds and garden beds and the remainder goes to my compost pile where I empty my poop bucket too. At the end of Summer as it begins Fall I do this again to keep the flower beds warm to keep the cold off the roots and add to the compost pile again. It is a constant work in progress but easy to do and maintain.

 

[fireguy56]

Hi, Jeez....! Yes pine shaings are fine if ya using DLM. Very simple to do, most folks here will agree. However some like sand and want to sccop poop off sand. I only use sand in run area and have yet to spend a minute scooping any poop. I just seems to dissapear! Wouldn't use sand in coops since mine are all raised coops with solid floor . Love DLM and use pine shavings exclusivly in both coops. So easy, along with poop boards for easy clean up. Just turn it over every few days, add some new shavings and lime or stall dry on occasion and clean out once a year. How simple is that? Chickens poop most when confined to coop, on roosts and sleeping. If ya catch that on a board or trays and clean it regularily, no mess on floor. No brainer in my humble opinion. .
Erik

 

[jennh]

Sorry to sound dumb, but what is DLM?


Quote:

 

[OregonChickenGal]

Love pine shavings, easy to keep clean and makes coop smell fresh. DLM is Deep Litter Method. Use the search bar to find alot of info on it.

 

[SteveBaz]

Quote:

Deep Litter Method as explained in my post above and a bit in fire guy 56 or erik

 

[fireguy56]

Hi, Newbies.......go to learning center. Lots of good info.
Erik